Build Thread: Custom Tenor Ukulele by Marshall Stapleton

Camsuke said:
The Rubner tuners are a very nice choice :D very classy.
Click to expand...

I second that. Those are the one I have on my Beau Hannam Tenor. Best tuners I have ever seen.
 
DownUpDave said:
I own 6 ukes with LR Baggs 5.0, two baritones and four tenors. I own 2 ukes (I've had others) with Misi, a tenor and a super concert that one has the volume tone control wheels. I also own an iRig Acoustic Stage, same as you do. Both LR Baggs and Misi sound very very close to one another. I would give the slight nod to the Baggs, I really like the volume wheel. If you get the Misi definitely get the volume tone wheels.

The iRig is ok but for performing live I just really like the ease of plug and play. Nothing to hook onto the uke, no thin little wire dangling about, no preamp I have to clip onto my belt. The iRig, as you know, has a nice sound but not with all my ukes. Some sound too boomy which can be inherent with an internal mic. Same with feedback problems, I don't want any of those hassles on stage.
Click to expand...

I agree with Dave. I went the MiSi route because you never have to worry about batteries anymore. I believe that the 5.0 and MiSi use the same Baggs under saddle pu with only the Electronics being different.
 
Wow,

Thanks guys, so it's between the Misi and the Baggs.

Now for a troll through all the youtube vids....

The wood set should be arriving with Marshall either today or tomorrow.

Steve
 
That didn't take too long,

I think I would have been very happy with either, but went with the L.R. Baggs Five.O

I know it's got a battery but it's 300 hours Vs 16 hours, and I can have a spare battery in the case.

Now, the case........ :)

Steve
 
The build is getting closer to being started, Marshall has got a few electric ukuleles to do first, then it's on to mine.

This is the torrefied spruce top purchased from www.stewmac.com

Sound Board 4.jpg

Hopefully not only will it sound beautiful, it will also show some nice figuring.

Steve
 
Well, Marshall has now started to build my ukulele

Top and back have been bookmatched

Front Back and Sides.jpg

Sides have been formed

Moulding Sides.jpg

and assembled

Moulding Sides 03.jpg
Making Sides 01.jpg

and Marshall has started to scrape the top and back to final thickness.

Scraping to Thickness.jpg



I do like the look of that Macassar.
 
Steve, The ebony is going to look fantastic. It's a beautiful, deep rich looking wood. And the pieces you chose are wonderful. The torrefied spruce should be a nice counter to the ebony and project like crazy. It's gonna knock it out of the park.

As far as pickups go, I prefer passives because I don't play amplified all that often. (I have 2 K&Ks & a Pono) So I don't want to chance having the battery go bad by leaving it in the instrument for months without charging. (Or changing.) If you are going to use it with an amp a lot, then the Baggs and the Misi both have great reputations.

Really great to be able to watch the build in progress. Thanks for sharing it with us.

PS: Your HUG ukulele club looks like a fun group. Very active as well. That's terrific.
 
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Kenn2018 said:
Steve, The ebony is going to look fantastic. It's a beautiful, deep rich looking wood. And the pieces you chose are wonderful. The torrefied spruce should be a nice counter to the ebony and project like crazy. It's gonna knock it out of the park.

As far as pickups go, I prefer passives because I don't play amplified all that often. (I have 2 K&Ks & a Pono) So I don't want to chance having the battery go bad by leaving it in the instrument for months without charging. (Or changing.) If you are going to use it with an amp a lot, then the Baggs and the Misi both have great reputations.

Really great to be able to watch the build in progress. Thanks for sharing it with us.

PS: Your HUG ukulele club looks like a fun group. Very active as well. That's terrific.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your kind words, hopefully it will turn out to look and sound fantastic.

It will be used at a lot of gigs, so will be plugged in a lot.

I've already purchased the L.R. Baggs Five.O, and it's with Marshall, so decision is pretty much made...

HUG takes a lot of time for the those of us that help run it, but it's worth it.
 
And here's the design of the rosette.

I do not like a lot of bling on my ukuleles, and I think this looks pretty classy, ebony with maple veneer.

Rosette 2.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Rosette 2.jpg
    Rosette 2.jpg
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More progress

Top Bracing 01 UU.jpg

Top Bracing 02 UU.jpg

Soundport 04 UU.jpg

The faint white line you can see on the side is about the final shape.

Comment from Marshall about the top.

"This one sounds amazing with the struts glued on! The tap tone really rings out with different notes depending where you tap it"
 
Congratulations, Steve, you'll be having an amazing birthday present! Great choice of wood, that ebony looks spectacular. The bracing looks very interesting as well. Looking forward to see more.
 
That's going to be a great looking & sounding ukulele. It's nice that you can have the pickup installed during the build. I'd think it would make positioning and securing the wiring and the battery easier? Anyway, thanks for posting the photos. Fun to see.
 
And a few more photos from Marshall.

Neck joint, lots more carving to do on the neck though :)

Neck Joint UU.jpg

Fretboard trial fit, bindings are just temporary for fitting purposes.

Fretboard Trial UU.jpg

Back braces getting glued.

Back Braces UU.jpg
 
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